


Knocked Down

by JaclynKL



Series: Return to Neptune [3]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 19:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21061871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaclynKL/pseuds/JaclynKL
Summary: Nine months after returning home to Neptune Veronica is back at work with Keith at Mars Investigations. After giving up a career as a lawyer, she is once again falling hard for the PI life. Sequel to Predestined Flight.





	Knocked Down

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Veronica Mars belongs to Rob Thomas.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

“Excuse me, are you the Mars in Mars Investigations?”

Veronica inwardly groaned at the intrusion. She was two minutes away from locking up the office and heading home at a semi-decent hour. _ Sorry Logan. _“One of them,” she responded as she set her bag back down on the credenza behind her desk and spun her chair around to face her visitor. “How can I help you, Mr.—“

“Finley. Caleb Finley, but please call me Caleb.”

“Okay.” Veronica motioned to the two visitor’s chairs in front of her desk. “What is it you think I can help you with, Caleb?”

“My wife,” he said sadly as he took a seat. “I think she’s having an affair.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She’s uh,” he ran a hand over his forehead, no doubt contemplating whether his suspicions were going to be seen as righteous or obsessively clingy and paranoid. “She’s been more distant and secretive. We used to share everything with each other, you know, we were high school sweethearts, but over the past year it’s like we’ve turned into roommates instead of spouses. I can’t get her to open up to me and we…” he turned his head down to stare at his hands twisting in his lap as his cheeks burned with embarrassment, “we haven’t been…intimate in quite a while.”

“You said this has been going on for a year. Why hire a private investigator now?”

She smirked a little when he seemed to have been thrown off by her question. He was expecting her to question him about his sex life, or lack thereof, as she assumed whomever he had told his suspicions to in the past had done. The truth was, she couldn’t care less about his sexual dry spell. Lack of a sexual appetite or intimacy in general was Cheating 101. She was more interested in his motive for hire.

“I just,” he looked up at her with glassy eyes filled with unshed tears, “if I have to let her go, if I’m not what she wants anymore, I need to know. I need to know, for my own peace of mind, you know, that there’s nothing left to salvage.”

_Crap. He’s one of those._

Unlike ninety-eight percent of their clients trying to get proof of an affair for divorce settlements and broken prenups that would allow them to keep their multi-million dollar beach house with staff, fancy cars and black Amex cards without a limit, this guy, Caleb, was here out of love not money.

He was still very much in love with his wife and whether she found proof of an affair or not was going to leave this man heartbroken. Either way he seemed to know his marriage was over, but he still came to her for proof or rather closure. And for that she respected him.

“The daily rate is three-hundred.” Veronica took a blank piece of paper out of her desk drawer and passed it across to Caleb with a pen. “If you could write down any information about your wife that could help; her schedule, any routines she has, the make and model of her car and the people she associates with the most. I’ll do some digging and get started on your case as soon as possible.”

Caleb finished writing his wife’s information down and stood up. “Thank you, Ms. Mars.”

Veronica waited for Caleb to leave before she resumed packing up her bag from an hour earlier. She left the new case file on her desk for tomorrow, grabbed her belongings, turned off the lights and left the office locking the doors behind her.

* * *

Veronica slipped through the front door and was immediately assaulted with the aroma of homemade lasagna. She set her stuff down and toed off her shoes before making her way into the kitchen.

Lasagna was cooling on the counter. Garlic bread was cooking in the oven. The large wooden dining room table was set for two with candles and red wine. _What is he up to?_

Before she could ponder that thought further two strong and warm arms circled her body from behind and pulled her up against a firm form.

“You’re home,” Logan whispered into her ear and then moved to place kisses down the side of her neck.

“I am,” her body started to relax and sink against him, enjoying the feel of his lips on her skin. “What’s all this?” she motioned to the incredibly romantic scene set in front of them.

“It’s date night,” he said as he pulled her closer and kissed her cheek.

“I can see that. It’s just usually we spend date night in sweats rewatching episodes of Stranger Things and eating mass amounts of Chinese food on the couch.”

“I know,” he said with a smile as he walked her over to the table and sat her down, “and while I love snuggling with you on the couch, I thought we deserved a special date night. It’s the last night of just the two of us before tomorrow when an eight year old invades our home and I don’t get to see you naked or have my way with you for ten whole days.”

“I’m sure we can get creative and find ways to sneak away for a quickie.” The look of uncertainty on his face at her suggestion as he went over to pull the garlic bread from the oven made her smile. “So what exactly do you have planned tonight?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he answered with a smirk as he carried their food over to the table.

After dinner Logan told her to wait downstairs for a few minutes while he did whatever he needed to do upstairs.

When five minutes had gone by and Logan had still not returned Veronica got up and started cleaning off their dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

“I told you I would get the dishes when I came back down.”

“You were taking too long and I was trying to help you out.”

He ran his hands up her arms and thread them through her hair at the base of her skull. Lowering his head, he grazed his lips over hers, leaving a soft kiss before pulling away. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She pulled him back down to her for a slightly deeper kiss. “Are you going to tell me what you were doing upstairs?”

“No,” he said with a smirk.

“Logan…” she pouted and tilted her head at him.

He spun her around so he was standing behind her and bent down so his mouth was level with her ear, “how about I show you instead?”

A jolt of electricity shot through her body at his words and it took every ounce of self control she had not to drag him up the stairs as he went around the kitchen blowing out the candles, locking the doors and setting the alarm.

Logan took her hand and guided her up the stairs. When they got to the master bedroom Veronica expected to see more candles and rose petals in the shape of a heart on the middle of the bed, but there was nothing there to explain his ten minute disappearance.

A gentle hand on her lower back kept her moving toward the master bathroom, “uh, Logan…”

“Patience, Mars,” he said as he lightly patted her behind to keep her moving.

The bathroom lights were dimmed, but the room wasn’t dark. The lack of overhead lighting was replaced by nearly two-dozen miniature candles that lined the countertop and around the back edge of the Jacuzzi tub. The tub itself was filled and topped with bubble bath. A covered dish and two-filled wine glasses were set up on a small makeshift table next to the bath.

“Wow,” Veronica turned to take in the entire space, “this is…”

Logan moved in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “All for you.”

She ducked her head down trying to hide the blush spreading across her face. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble to get laid. All you had to do was ask.”

“Admit it, you like being wined and dined like the girl you on occasion are.” He tilted her head back up and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. The expression on his face went from playful to tender in three seconds flat. “Tonight is all about you because I love you.”

She pulled his head down to hers and pressed her lips against his, needing to feel him.

He pulled her hips against his and moved his mouth along her jaw down her neck as his fingers dipped under the hem of her shirt and started to pull it slowly up and over her head.

Logan kissed his way down her body until he got to her jeans. Kneeling on the floor in front of her he unsnapped her pants and peeled them down her legs pressing kisses to her hips, her thighs, her knees, all the way to her ankles.

When he stood up she pulled him back to her mouth hungry to taste him. Her hands moved under his shirt running along the tight skin over his abs, breaking their kiss only long enough to push his shirt away from his body. Her hands made quick work of his jeans and boxer briefs until he was standing in front of her without a stitch on.

The intensity of his gaze made her skin feel like it was on fire and the only thing that seemed to tame the flames was having his skin on hers.

He moved around her and unhooked her bra. His fingers lightly danced across her shoulder blades and moved the straps down her arms until the offending item of clothing was on the floor at her feet. His hands continued down her sides sending goosebumps up her spine as his fingers slipped under the waistband of her underwear and slid them down her legs.

Logan carefully stepped into the tub and held out a hand to help her in. The water was warm against her skin. Not scalding, but hot enough to allow them to relax comfortably for a lengthy amount of time.

She sat down in between Logan’s legs as his right arm snaked diagonally across her chest gripping her left shoulder while his left hand played with her sensitive flesh below. Veronica’s head lulled back against Logan’s chest as he drove her body insane and pushed her over the edge.

When she came down from her release, Logan handed her one of the glasses of wine to sip on while he got her next surprise ready. He took her glass from her when she was finished and handed her a plate with a piece of chocolate lava cake and a fork.

Taking a bite of the cake, Veronica let out a moan, “oh my god, you really are the best boyfriend ever.”

Logan nipped at her bare shoulder and smiled against her skin.

Veronica scooped another bite of cake onto the fork and held it over her shoulder for Logan. She took turns feeding both of them the dessert until the cake was gone.

After relaxing in the tub for a while longer, Logan helped her out, dried them both off, blew out the candles and carried her to bed.

* * *

Thursday, April 6th, 2017

After running a few run of the mill measly background checks for other Mars Investigations cases and looking over the details Caleb had provided to his wife’s routine, Veronica not only had a plan for staking out Caleb’s wife, she was also exhausted.

The clock on the wall mocked her. 11:45am. _Ugh, I haven’t even been here four hours. _

She crossed her arms and laid her head down on her desk, closing her eyes.

“Hey kiddo,” Keith rapped on the door frame to her office as he entered and took a seat in one of the visitor’s chairs, “you feeling okay?” Concern was evident on his face.

She lifted her head up and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, I’m just tired. Logan and I were up late trying to get everything ready for when Tyler comes tonight,” she lied slightly. _Let him think you and Logan were ‘getting ready’ __for Tyler by kid proofing the house and not having ten days worth of sex in one night. _

“Actually, I think I’m gonna head out early if you think you can manage without me. There are still a few things left I have to do,” _like take a nap, _“before my temporary parenting gig starts.”

Keith smiled softly. “Think you and Logan are ready to be parents?”

The question sounded innocent, but she could see through him. After nearly nine months of being back in Neptune and back together with Logan her dad was still having trouble accepting these changes. He was probing to see how serious her relationship with Logan was getting and it made her a little angry.

“Tyler seems to think so. He did choose to stay with us over his grandparents, although I’m pretty sure we were chosen based solely on our proximity to the beach and the fact Logan promised to take him surfing rather than any real belief that we can take care of a child.”

“I don’t think Linda and Brett would leave Tyler in your care if they didn’t think you could handle it,” Keith said as he stood up. “If you have any trouble you can always give me and Alicia a call.”

“I know.” Veronica gathered up her things and went around the desk to give her father a hug goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t stay too late.”

* * *

After running through a drive thru and inhaling some fast food on the way home, Veronica left her car parked in the driveway and went inside.

She stopped at the edge of the living room and shook her head. _Unbelievable! He skipped out of work early to nap and didn’t even call me. I at least tried to call him and now I know why he didn’t answer._

Logan was asleep on his back on the couch in a pair of athletic shorts. One hand was tucked behind his head leaving his biceps and bare chest in a delicious display. If she wasn’t so tired she would have been tempted to climb up his body and think of creative ways to wake him up.

Veronica toed off her shoes and stripped off her jeans, tossing them on the coffee table along with her bra unhooked cleverly from under her tee shirt. She crawled up his body, but instead of waking him up she laid on top of him, head resting over his heart, like she had done during a case of mistaken identity eleven years ago in the penthouse suite at the Neptune Grand.

The free hand not under his head automatically wrapped around her waist and the warmth radiating from his body had her sound asleep within a few minutes.

* * *

_Ding-Dong!_

“Mhmm,” Veronica snuggled deeper into the couch. Sometime during her nap she had shifted off Logan and was now spooned against him on her side. The sound of the doorbell slowly registered in her mind, “Logan?” When he didn’t respond she poked him in the side with her thumb, “Logan?”

“Hmm,” he mused with his eyes closed.

“Someone’s at the door,” Veronica mumbled with sleep in her voice. Not fully awake yet.

“If you stay quiet and ignore them, eventually they go away,” he whispered his sage advice and pulled her closer.

_Ding-Dong!_

_Ugh! _ Veronica rolled half over Logan to grab his phone from the coffee table. 5:30pm. Her eyes widened at the time. _Shit, Tyler! _“Get up, we slept too late, that’s Tyler at the door.”

She scrambled over Logan, trying not to knee anything important, as she reached for her clothes and slipped back into her jeans. She shoved her bra at Logan as he stood up stretching the sleep from his body, “take this upstairs and go put on a shirt.”

Fixing her hair as she walked, she also grabbed a zip up hoodie from the hall closet and slipped it on just before opening the door. “Sorry we were,” she covered a yawn with her hand as she greeted Linda, Tyler’s mom, “napping. Come on in.”

“Late night?” Linda winked at her with a knowing smile before becoming more sympathetic, “are you sure Tyler staying here won’t be too much trouble?”

Veronica waved off her concern, “not at all, we’re—“

“Veronica!” Tyler ran through the front door, dropped his book bag and pillow and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, cutting off the rest of her sentence. “Where’s Logan?”

“Upstairs, I think. He was grabbing something real quick.”

“Can I go find him?” Tyler asked.

“Sure, bud.”

Tyler ran off to go find Logan just as Brett came through the front door carrying a large suitcase and a clear travel container with Tyler’s pet turtle, Henry and set the items down just inside the foyer.

“I wanted to give you this in case you need it,” Linda explained as she handed Veronica a piece of paper. “It’s our travel itinerary with numbers to the hotel and both our cells. I put my parents information down as well. I also added you and Logan to the approved visitors list at school so you’ll be able to pick Tyler up.”

“That’s great, thank you.”

“No, thank you both for watching him. Johnny is staying with a friend, but Tyler…I know he’ll have a better time here than at my parents.”

“We’re happy to have him,” Veronica said with a true smile.

Logan and Tyler came downstairs and joined the group.

“Alright, come here sweetie, your dad and I are leaving.” Tyler went over to his parents to say goodbye. “You be a good boy for Veronica and Logan and we’ll see you next weekend, okay? We love you.”

Linda and Brett left a few minutes later and Veronica headed into the kitchen to see what they had available for dinner. She reached out some frozen chicken breasts and put a few on a plate in the microwave to thaw while reaching out all the fixings for homemade chicken tacos.

Tyler, used to this routine from being a regular visitor, brought his book bag into the kitchen and set up his little work area at the island. When Logan wandered in a few minutes later after taking Tyler’s things up to his room he waved a paper at him. “I have a spelling test tomorrow, can you quiz me?”

“Sure,” Logan took the paper from him and read off the first word. “Perimeter. It is important for a private investigator to case the perimeter before breaking and entering.”

Veronica rolled her eyes and Tyler laughed. “P-E-R-I-M-E-T-E-R.”

“Good job, buddy,” Logan said with a smile as he raised his knuckles for Tyler to bump. “How about irritable? Veronica gets irritable when people steal her food.”

“I-R, uh…irritable, I-R-R-I-T-A-B-L-E?”

“That’s right, bud, good job,” Veronica said as she popped the chicken in the oven.

They ran through the rest of Tyler’s spelling words, with him only missing one, before dinner. When they were done eating Tyler finished a math worksheet and then jumped in the shower.

When he was out, they still had a little time before bed so they popped some popcorn and settled on the couch to watch a movie.

* * *

Friday, April 7th, 2017

After dropping Tyler off at school Veronica headed to the office. They had worked out a system for while Tyler was staying with them that catered to both of their work schedules. Veronica would drop him off at school in the mornings and Logan would pick him up in the afternoons.

The morning went by fairly quick and before she knew it it was noon and time to head out to follow Kate, Caleb’s wife. The schedule he provided her said Kate typically left the house around one on Friday afternoons. He didn’t know where she went or whom she met up with, but often he wouldn’t hear her come in until well after midnight.

She got to Caleb’s house around twelve-thirty and parked down the street behind a silver sedan. Like clockwork, Kate pulled away from her house around one and sent Veronica on a boring errands run around town. She followed Kate to the gas station, the gym, the dry cleaners, the grocery store and the hair salon.

Just as she was about to put an end to this fruitless tail and call it a day, Kate did something interesting. Instead of heading home, she turned the car around and followed Kate away from the 06 zip into the seedy underbelly of the 02 zip along the beach.

The Crescent Motel was not what she would call romantic. It was a step up from the Camelot only because it was beachfront, offering guests ocean views. It was similar to the Sea Sprite further up the road, but unlike the Sea Sprite who catered to spring breakers, the Crescent catered more to the pay by the hour types.

Veronica watched as Kate pulled into the Crescent Motel and weaved around orange construction cones blocking off one half of the parking lot while an eight-man crew was busy painting and restriping the lot.

_Yeah, as if a fresh coat of paint is going to make a difference in a place like this. _

Kate left her car and headed for the check in office, which meant she was likely the first to arrive.

A few minutes later Kate left the office and walked along the sidewalk in front of the motel and disappeared around the side heading toward the rooms on the back, ocean side, part of the motel.

_Shit._

Not having much of a choice if she wanted a money shot, Veronica had to leave her car. She grabbed her messenger bag and slung it over her shoulder before grabbing her camera and telephoto zoom lens. Avoiding the striping crew, she made her way to the back of the motel and mumbled another curse when it was clear Kate was already tucked into one of the rooms since she was nowhere in sight.

There weren’t too many places to stand with a camera that wouldn’t make her look like a pervy peeping tom. Everything was exposed out in the open; if she stood there with a camera pointed at the rooms it would raise suspicion quickly.

Looking around she spotted a lifeguard tower on the beach. The tower wasn’t in use and the beach was nearly empty, except for a few people walking along the water in the distance. It was the best cover she had so she made her way across the sand and up the ramp to the tower, setting down her bag.

Testing out the distance from the tower to the backside of the motel with her camera, she thanked her lucky stars she was within range. From this vantage point she had a clear view of every room. Getting comfortable leaning on the railing, camera at the ready, she waited for Kate to open her door when her gentleman caller arrived.

* * *

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh as she checked her watch, again. 5:45pm. She had hoped to be home by now. She had been waiting for someone to meet Kate for over an hour and nothing, not one person had entered or left from any of the rooms.

She pulled her phone out of her bag and sent a quick text to Logan. _I’ll be home by 7 with pizza and movies. _Before she could toss her phone back into her bag lying on the ground, she heard a rustling noise behind her and turned to see a man in dark jeans and a black hoodie rushing at her up the ramp just seconds before his fist collided with her face.

The blow sent her careening back into the wood frame of the lifeguard tower. Her phone and camera crashed to the ground, a sharp shattering of glass signaled the destruction of her camera. Black spots danced in front of her eyes when the back of her head hit the raised frame around a wooden shade that covered the shack’s lookout windows when the tower was closed and the lifeguards were off duty.

He grabbed the front of her shirt in his fists and pulled her away from the tower only long enough to slam her body back into the hard surface.

She swung her arms blindly and knew she connected with something when her attacker muttered “bitch.” Landing a hit just made him angrier and his fists took alternating shots at her midsection.

On his third swing there was a loud pop followed by pain shooting up the right side of her rib cage. Every breath she took was like breathing in shards of glass.

Her legs wobbled, struggling to keep her upright and her arms were crossed over her body trying to block any more shots. She slid down the wall of the shack and looked up under tired eyes to her attacker. That was a mistake.

His eyes hardened into ice cold black orbs, nostrils flared and jaw clenched tight. He took a step forward and Veronica gave a swift kick, the heel of her boot connected with the sensitive flesh of his shin.

He yelled and grabbed his injured leg.

Veronica tried to get up while he was otherwise occupied to make her escape, but he recovered too quickly and grabbed her arm bringing her back into his vicinity. His fist collided again with her face before he shoved her face first toward the shack.

Unsteady on her feet with blurred vision, her forehead struck the small lip around the main lookout window and her body slumped over until she was lying on her side against the wooden planks of the tower’s deck.

Veronica was struggling to keep her eyes open. The pain was excruciating and she didn’t have any fight left in her.

The man in the black hoodie delivered two hard kicks to her abdomen before squatting down in front of her with a sickening smile, almost like he was admiring his handy work.

His retreating back as he left her curled in a ball alone in the lifeguard tower was the last image she saw as the pain became unbearable and a blanket of darkness surrounded her. 


End file.
